2012 NBA Draft Preview: Top 5 Biggest Potential Busts With any draft in any professional sport, there are going to be players that exceed expectations and those that fail to live up to the hype. Even the best general managers will end up picking a player that ends up being a bust if they do the job long enough. It just comes with the territory. The risk can be even higher in the NBA because there are only two round and players are allowed to leave college after just a single season. With the 2012 NBA Draft just a few days away, here is a look at a few of the projected early picks that have a chance to join the notorious list of NBA busts.
2012 NBA Draft Preview: Top 5 Biggest Potential Busts
1. Andre Drummond, Center, Connecticut
He has the size and body to play center at the NBA level, and if he develops an offensive game to match his athleticism, Drummond could end up being the best player taken in this draft. The problem is that if he doesn’t work hard and develop an offensive game, he could become just another journeyman with a big body. Drummond didn’t exactly assert himself in his lone year at the collegiate level, which is a bit concerning for someone that could physically overpower just about anybody trying to guard him. Still, he is young, big and raw, and he is going to get picked early in the draft. I don’t see much middle ground with Drummond. He is going to be a boom or bust pick for a lottery team.
2. Harrison Barnes, Small Forward, North Carolina
Barnes has been a highly-touted prospect since he was in high school, and he has shown flashes on the offensive end. He has range on his jump shot and can score in the post, and he has the potential to become a productive scorer at the NBA level. On the flip side, Barnes didn’t show much explosiveness in college in terms of getting to the rim and getting to the foul line. He was pretty much a jump shooter that could only take over a game when his shot was falling. In the NBA, stars get to the foul line. Unless Barnes finds a way to expand his game, he could become the reincarnation of Marvin Williams.
3. Perry Jones III, Power Forward, Baylor
His skill set and physical tools are plain ridiculous. At 6-11 with range to spare, above average ball handling and excellent athleticism, it is obvious that a team is going to take a chance on Jones early in the draft. Heck, he was being hyped as the potential top pick after his freshman year at Baylor. Unfortunately, all the questions about his focus and hustle that were dismissed because of inexperience have become red flags after his uneven sophomore season for the Bears. For whatever reason, Jones seems reluctant to be aggressive from start to finish of a game. If the team that drafts him can’t find a way to make Jones unleash his full potential, he could end up being the most-talented bench player in recent memory.
4. John Henson, Power Forward, North Carolina
In college, Henson was a defensive stud with an improving offensive game, and his biggest assets to an NBA team are his rebounding and shot-blocking ability. However, Henson is 6-10 but weighs just 216 pounds. He could be snapped in half by most of the other power forwards and centers starting in the NBA, and while his athleticism allowed him to compensate at the collegiate level, everyone in the NBA is big and athletic. Henson needs to hit the weight room and bulk up fast, or he is going to get pushed around to the point where he isn’t effective.
5. Fab Melo, Center, Syracuse
He is a great shot blocker, and Melo also has the body type to play center in the NBA. On his potential alone, some team will likely take a chance on him at some point during the first round. That being said, his offensive game is beyond raw. For the foreseeable future, he will more or less be dead weight on the offensive end and a liability in crunch time because of his poor free throw shooting. Melo’s defensive impact better be off the charts because he is going to end up on the bench otherwise.
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